In each grade, word complexity increases and interacting with the text is essential to understanding. Vocabulary is important in every subject!
Vocabulary isn't just definitions, it is also understanding nuances of meaning and understanding context.
Substantial gaps exist between students. The average reading vocabuly of high school graduates is estimated at 40,000 words. However, struggling readers can be thousands of words behind.
Incidental vocabulary learning is good, but it isn't enough. Students will likely learn only about 15% of new words encountered in independent reading.
WWC Research Based Recommendations for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
#1 - Dedicate time within the regular classroom lesson to explicit vocabulary instruction.
Vocabulary learning is embedded in and tied to your content learning objectives, not an isolated list.
#2 - Use repeated exposure to new words in multiple oral and written contexts and allow sufficient practice with words.
It takes between 6-12 exposures and interactions with a word to learn it. It can take as many as 17 for some struggling students.
#3 - Give sufficient opportunities to use new vocabulary in a variety of contexts through activities such as discussion, writing, and extended reading.
Vary your strategies and activities. This provides some differentiation and also helps ensure that students understand the nuances of meaning and the correct way to use the word.
#4 - Provide students with strategies to make them independent vocabulary learners.
Teach students to use context clues, teach them roots, prefixes and suffixes and teach them use reference materials when needed. However, don't teach these skills in isolation. Be sure to tie them to current learning!
Guidelines and Recommendations
Study only a small number of words at a time. Most recommend no more than 5-7 per week.
Vocabulary words should be tied to what you are learning.
Review Marzano's 6-Step Method Vocabulary Method.
Use a Word Wall and interact with it on a regular basis.
Quick, repeated vocabulary activities only take a few minutes of class time and allow for the repeated exposures recommended by research.
Elementary and Language Arts teachers should consider the Tier method to choose words (Tier 2 words are most important to teach explicitly). Secondary content teachers should focus on how important the word is for learning the content (no matter what tier).
Find ways and opportunities to use the vocabulary you are studying.
What NOT to do...
Assign long lists of words on Monday, have students look up defintions and write isolated sentences. Collect them on Friday when they take the vocabulary quiz.
Misuse a word wall by posting a bunch of words and then never using them.
Study isolated, random vocabulary.
Sample Vocabulary Strategies
Some of these strategies are great for introducing new words and some are better for continued practice and interaction with the word.
Word Splash
- Great for introducing new words and evaluating student prior knowledge so you can decide which words of a small group to study.
Formulating Defintions
- Good for nouns
What I See, What I Say
- Great for repeated exposure and a good way to see if students understand nuances and can visualize and verbalize.
List Synonyms
List Antonyms
Drawing Differences - Semantic Overlap
- Choose two vocabulary words that have some similiarity (ex: irritated and upset) and have students describe how they are different. Write a sentence in which one fits, but not the other.
Teach Root Words
- Example: When introducing the word "democracy" in Social Studies, take a minutes and explore the root "dem" meaning "the people". Have students generate lists of other words with the root and tie each back to the root itself (ex: "epidemic" ties back because it means many people get sick).
Pictures
- Show/give a picture and have students do a quick write (1-2 minutes) relating the picture to one word on the word wall. Pair-share and then group share to clarify student meanings.
Write a Sentence
- Many variations on this one... Write one sentence that connects a vocabulary word to something we studied yesterday in class (be sure they can't just copy a sentence from the text or notes that contains the word).
Categorize
- Give students 6-8 words from the Word Wall and ask them to categorize them into 2-3 categories and be ready to explain their categories and why they choose them.
Missing Word in Sentence
- Read a sentence with a missing word. Ask students to write a word from the word wall that would correctly fill in the the blank.
Vocabulary Strategies
Why Do We Need To Teach Vocabulary?
WWC Research Based Recommendations for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
#1 - Dedicate time within the regular classroom lesson to explicit vocabulary instruction.#2 - Use repeated exposure to new words in multiple oral and written contexts and allow sufficient practice with words.
#3 - Give sufficient opportunities to use new vocabulary in a variety of contexts through activities such as discussion, writing, and extended reading.
#4 - Provide students with strategies to make them independent vocabulary learners.
Guidelines and Recommendations
What NOT to do...
Sample Vocabulary Strategies
Some of these strategies are great for introducing new words and some are better for continued practice and interaction with the word.Word Splash
- Great for introducing new words and evaluating student prior knowledge so you can decide which words of a small group to study.
Formulating Defintions
- Good for nouns
What I See, What I Say
- Great for repeated exposure and a good way to see if students understand nuances and can visualize and verbalize.
List Synonyms
List Antonyms
Drawing Differences - Semantic Overlap
- Choose two vocabulary words that have some similiarity (ex: irritated and upset) and have students describe how they are different. Write a sentence in which one fits, but not the other.
Teach Root Words
- Example: When introducing the word "democracy" in Social Studies, take a minutes and explore the root "dem" meaning "the people". Have students generate lists of other words with the root and tie each back to the root itself (ex: "epidemic" ties back because it means many people get sick).
Pictures
- Show/give a picture and have students do a quick write (1-2 minutes) relating the picture to one word on the word wall. Pair-share and then group share to clarify student meanings.
Write a Sentence
- Many variations on this one... Write one sentence that connects a vocabulary word to something we studied yesterday in class (be sure they can't just copy a sentence from the text or notes that contains the word).
Categorize
- Give students 6-8 words from the Word Wall and ask them to categorize them into 2-3 categories and be ready to explain their categories and why they choose them.
Missing Word in Sentence
- Read a sentence with a missing word. Ask students to write a word from the word wall that would correctly fill in the the blank.